Issue 50 / December 2012

January 2011

Extract from WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy reveals twists and turns in the fraught lead-up to the publication of US embassy cables• Buy WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy hereThree men were in the Belgian hotel courtyard... More...

Biggest literary event in the Arab literary world pulled as Egypt convulsed by protestsLiterature has been caught up in the protests that have now entered their seventh day in Egypt. The annual Cairo book fair, due to have been held... More...

Hotly anticipated translation of Japanese sensation will be published in a single, 1,000-page volumeGreat news for Haruki Murakami fans: the long-awaited English translation of 1Q84, the writer's epic novel in three volumes that has proved a huge hit in his... More...

I am delighted to see that Martin Conboy has been given a chair at Sheffield University in journalism history. As far as he and I are aware, there is no other professor of journalism history in Britain.Conboy certainly deserves the... More...

JD Salinger, author of The Catcher in the Rye, liked bus tours and burgers, according to letters recently made publicWhat a disappointment. JD Salinger, far from being the demented/spooky hermit of legend, was actually a regular, fun-loving person. All those... More...

Satirical graphic novel based on former PM Dominique de Villepin has become surprise French literary hitA silver-haired aristocrat thunders through the palatial offices of the French foreign ministry quoting Greek philosophers and demanding his speech-writers pepper their efforts with poetry.... More...

Amazon is reporting Kindle edition sales outstripping paperbacks in the US, and the Booker prize jury is now reading on ebooksThe ebook revolution has swept past two more milestones in its ferocious advance upon the bastions of literary culture. As... More...

US press pins authorship on John McCain aide Mark SalterIt was only published this week, but already the mystery may be over. The author of the anonymously-written novel O, billed as offering the inside story of the current US president,... More...

Gulliver's Travels author and satirist used baby talk for coded intimacy in journal of lettersThe line "tis still terribly cold - I wish my cold hand was in the warmest place about you, young women" would have had the satirist... More...

Twenty-five books in contention, but none from publisher that protested over Amazon.com's sponsorshipDavid Grossman, Per Petterson and Amelie Nothomb are the major names leading the fiction longlist for this year's Best Translated Book awards, run from the University of Rochester... More...

Impassioned polemic against closures picked up by thousands of readersA passionate speech delivered by author Philip Pullman to two or three hundred people at an Oxfordshire library campaigners' meeting earlier this month has become a viral sensation through the influence... More...

Singer to follow award-winning memoir with mystery story set in London and inspired by Sherlock HolmesPatti Smith may soon follow in the footsteps of Agatha Christie, Ian Rankin and Stieg Larsson. This week, the singer revealed she has completed "68%"... More...

Catcher in the Rye author was fan of tennis, tenors and Burger KingJD Salinger was regarded as a recluse for much of the last 50 years of his life but previously unseen letters written by the author to a friend... More...

Writer laments near-invisibility of writers in languages other than English, and persistent shortage of translationsThe Nobel prize-winning Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk has complained that the majority of human experience is being ignored because the literature that describes it is not... More...

Only beginning to publish in his 60s, Langley's work was much admired for its experimental spiritThe poet and diarist RF Langley, whose meditative work was deeply influenced by the natural world and by the landscapes of Suffolk in particular, has... More...

Singer moving to New York to complete first book, thought to be a collection of erotic short storiesKele Okereke is writing a book. The Bloc Party frontman has revealed he is moving to America to finish his first tome, possibly... More...

As Amis leaves for New York, Tóibín installed as professor of creative writing at the University of ManchesterNovelist Colm Tóibín is set to take over from Martin Amis as professor of creative writing at the University of Manchester. But Tóibín,... More...

Bookies' favourite Edmund de Waal misses out as judges praise Shapcott's 'very special and unusual and uplifting' collectionIn a surprise result for the Costa book of the year award, poet Jo Shapcott has taken the £35,000 award for her book... More...

Pro-Palestinian writers had called on novelist to boycott Israeli awardIan McEwan has replied to pro-Palestinian writers who have accused him of accepting the "corrupt and cynical" Jerusalem prize for literature by insisting on his right to engage in dialogue with... More...

Letter written to neighbour Fanny Brawne as John Keats lay dying of tuberculosis could fetch up to £120,000A poignant letter in which the poet John Keats, already mortally ill, vowed to kiss Fanny Brawne's signature – since he could not... More...

Dickens' unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, to be given latest plot twist in new BBC adaptationWhodunnit? Was it the fog, the opium, the quicklime, the Ceylonese twin or his villainous uncle Jasper that did for Edwin Drood?... More...

Success for Nobel laureate after withdrawing from Oxford professor election following sex harassment claims in 2009In a "bumper year" for English-language poetry, Nobel laureate Derek Walcott, who was embroiled in scandal two years ago, was tonight named winner of the... More...

A 'carnival of resistance' to threatened closures planned at more than 40 libraries on 5 February 2011A "carnival of resistance" to library closures will take place on 5 February 2011, with over forty library "read-ins" scheduled in a coordinated protest... More...

Actor reportedly in negotiations to portray legendary director in big screen account of the making of PsychoAnthony Hopkins is in talks to play Alfred Hitchcock in a big screen account of the making of Psycho, according to the Hollywood Reporter.... More...

Scottish poet's 1789 letter to head of Edinburgh medical school contains early version of On Seeing a Wounded HareAn unpublished letter by the Scottish poet Robert Burns to a professor of medicine at Edinburgh University has been found at a... More...

Ex-laureate Andrew Motion joins exploration of Englishness in works that redefine patron saint in 'agnostic liturgy'Andrew Motion is among a leading group of poets who have written a new liturgy exploring "Englishness" in a much-changed England, and are attempting to... More...

Fearsome Weakest Link presenter to front literary version of Desert Island Discs as part of a year-long focus on writingAnne Robinson, the dark lady of teatime television and mistress of the pointed putdown, is to be re-styled this spring as... More...

This weekend, Rebecca Traister reviews Stephanie Coontz’s latest book, “A Strange Stirring: ‘The Feminine Mystique’ and American Women at the Dawn of the 1960s.” In a recent interview, Traister gave us her take on “The Feminine Mystique” and the state... More...

Yoko Ono sells publishing rights to collection of letters giving unrivalled insight into Lennon's characterJohn Lennon was a man of many words – verbose in interviews, prolific in prose and a dedicated letter-writer. Now, for the first time, fans will... More...

Borat and Brüno star takes on film of Zabibah and the King, a romantic novel reputedly written by Iraqi dictatorSacha Baron Cohen's on-screen antics have paired him with everyone from Pamela Anderson to Janet Jackson to US presidential candidate Ron... More...

Speculation rife that mystery writer behind fictional book depicting Barack Obama may be a political insiderThe language is not the sort we are used to hearing from Barack Obama. "Jesus Christ, do they expect you to be castrated by this... More...

Author – who will travel to city book fair to pick up award – accused of giving support to Israeli leadersIn a long literary career the novelist Ian McEwan has won prizes from many parts of the western world, but... More...

'Inspirational presence in British poetry' is successor to Edwin MorganThe award-winning poet and playwright Liz Lochhead has been announced as Scotland's new makar, the national poet. She will begin work without delay, when she the opens the new Robert Burns... More...

Agreement with publisher Simon & Schuster promises two further volumes of autobiography to follow 2004's ChroniclesBob Dylan has signed a deal to write six more books for his publisher Simon & Schuster, including two works of autobiography to follow Chronicles:... More...

Novelist acclaimed by jury as 'one of the most important writers of our time'Ian McEwan is to be given Israel's prestigious literary award, the Jerusalem prize, with the jury hailing him as "one of the most important writers of our... More...

New blow to HMV after fears over loan covenant and grim Christmas tradingKey suppliers to struggling high street chain HMV have been denied credit insurance in a further sign that music, movies and books retailer – which also owns Waterstone's... More...

Eurydice by Sue Hubbard, which was painted over by Network Rail contractors, is being replaced after Facebook campaignA mural poem composed to comfort travellers descending into one of Britain's most dismal underworlds is being recreated after more than 1,000 people... More...

Reading Force encourages military personnel to share reading experience with families at homeA new scheme, designed to bridge the divide separating military personnel serving overseas from their families at home by encouraging them all to read the same books, is... More...

X-Factor mastermind sent on search for meaning in 'spovel' by author Bill ColesHe's a multi-millionaire music producer, and the most famous judge on TV talent show hits The X-Factor and Britain's Got Talent, famed for his withering put-downs to talentless... More...

Alex Rider author on the case, at request of Conan Doyle estateMaster detective Sherlock Holmes is to follow in the suave footsteps of spy James Bond, gaining a new lease of life in the hands of a high-profile modern novelist.... More...

Glastonbury festival founder among celebrities lining up for activist filmGlastonbury festival organiser Michael Eavis is set to star in a Save Our Libraries campaign film, shot by the ever-active library supporters of Somerset.... More...

Savelibraries hashtag picks up support from thousands around the worldA simple tweet from a Shropshire ICT lecturer musing on libraries while doing her laundry of a Sunday morning resulted in the hashtag #savelibraries trending worldwide yesterday.... More...

A series of new books is likely to open up fresh controversy about the way we bring up our children; some demanding strict, regimented parenting, others a more laid-back approachThe hapless mother who innocently mashed up some sweet potato last... More...

The shadow media and culture minister insists that libraries provide a 'crucial service' for everyoneLabour politicians and campaigners have condemned the head of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council for suggesting that public libraries are primarily used by the white... More...

Users urged to take out full allowance of library books in campaign to keep Stony Stratford branch openThe library at Stony Stratford, a town on the outskirts of Milton Keynes, looks like the aftermath of a crime, the shell-shocked staff... More...

In the Book Review this weekend we review "Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring," a picture book about one of Martha Graham's most famous dances. On YouTube, there's a beautifully filmed version.... More...

Eva Gabrielsson, late author's partner, says the pair 'often wrote together' and she will finish the hugely successful crime seriesStieg Larsson's partner Eva Gabrielsson plans to finish the fourth novel he left uncompleted on his death. According to early details... More...

British actor appears as brooding figure in photographic peek at prequel that deals with Spider-Man Peter Parker's teenage yearsIt is said to be a "gritty, contemporary reboot" of the Spider-Man series in the vein of Christopher Nolan's 2005 reimagining of... More...

The prizewinning science fiction and fantasy author Neil Gaiman is awarded another prestigious literary accolade: an appearance on The SimpsonsScience fiction and fantasy author Neil Gaiman is joining an elite group of writers including John Updike and Thomas Pynchon by... More...

• BBS becomes first retail casualty of 2011• Business will trade while buyer is sought• Source says Christmas trading was 'horrific'Budget bookseller British Bookshops & Stationers, which employs about 300 people in the south of England, has become the first... More...

Memoir entitled A Spectacle of Dust submitted before the actor's death earlier this monthActor Pete Postlethwaite, whose death earlier this month was greeted with a nationwide expression of sadness and affection, has told his own story in a memoir due... More...

If the government does not call one, protesters say they are ready to set up their ownSomerset library campaigners are leading a call for a national public inquiry into the threatened closures of hundreds of libraries across the country. And,... More...

Follow-up to JD Salinger's novel of teenage angst, written by a Swedish author, to be issued in a number of countriesIf you really want to hear about it … the chances are you will soon be able to, unless you... More...

Research commissioned by EU urges member states to take greater responsibilityThe European Union and its member states must take more responsibility for the digitisation of Europe's cultural heritage if it is to avoid a "digital Dark Age," according to a... More...

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua set to stir controversy with critique of liberal western childrearingLess than a fortnight into the new year and already one of the most controversial books of 2011 has emerged. Battle Hymn... More...

James Bond returns to mark 50th anniversary of Dr No after surviving his toughest test ever: the bankruptcy of MGM StudiosThe financial problems that threatened to ensnare James Bond have been thwarted, allowing the Ian Fleming hero to return to... More...

Draft of 'Office and Denunciation' revealing previously unknown lines found in Library of Congress's music division"I offer myself to be devoured by Spanish peasants," writes the poet Federico García Lorca in a newly-discovered manuscript of a poem from his portrait... More...

Lord of the Rings stars to return as Gandalf and Gollum in Peter Jackson's two-part Tolkien prequel, The HobbitFrom the raucous taverns of the Shire to the dreaming spires of Gondor, there will be palpable relief today. Sir Ian McKellen... More...

The Alchemist author, whose sales top 300m in 150 countries, urges Brazilian government to interveneBrazilian author Paulo Coelho has said his books have been banned in Iran and has appealed to Brazil to intervene.... More...

On the same day as the former US defence secretary releases his memoir, a satirical novel, Donald, will also be publishedWhen it comes to telling the story of Donald Rumsfeld's life, facts have often seemed stranger than fiction. And now... More...

News of Baz Luhrmann's mooted 3D remake of F Scott Fitzgerald novel meets with disapprovalGive or take the odd wild party, car crash and shooting, a 3D adaptation of The Great Gatsby would not appear to promise quite the same... More...

Baby Touch series has been adapted for the iPhone and iPod, aimed at children as young as six monthsAs of today, it won't be just the parents of toddlers who have to wrestle with their children for their iPhone. Babies... More...

Nine Inch Nails frontman to showcase 'limited skills at stringed instruments' for David Fincher's film of Stieg Larsson novelTrent Reznor will once again work with Social Network director David Fincher, composing the score to the forthcoming Hollywood version of The... More...

'I had Ricky in mind for this role from the inception of the project,' says director behind new take on Kenneth Grahame's classicRicky Gervais is to voice the character of Mole in a new live-action/animatronic version of The Wind in... More...

Judge rules claims that JK Rowling borrowed from The Adventures of Willy the Wizard 'strain credulity'A plagiarism case brought against author JK Rowling has been dismissed in the US, after a judge ruled that comparing the two books involved "strains... More...

RPattz meets the Baron of Blood as teen idol and horror supremo collaborate on adaptation of Don DeLillo novelOne is every teenage girl's dream lover, the other a horror icon nicknamed the Baron of Blood. At first glance they would... More...

Sixty volume Dictionary of National Biography adds 216 Britons who departed in 2007, including Deedes, Coren, Sherrin and MellyTo the waiting room of history that is the Dictionary of National Biography, 216 people who died in 2007 are being added... More...

Untold Stories depicts a fictional princess whose life trajectory bears more than a passing resemblance to that of DianaA lot has happened since Diana was killed in a Paris car crash in 1997. The twin towers fell, the euro was... More...

Remarkable collection of nearly 2,000 woodworking tools from prehistoric to modern, put together by British builder, tells stories of the making of our worldThe implements used for edging and boring and planing sound as far from being aesthetically pleasing as... More...

Prolific author of 'farmyard fantasies' for children, whose book The Sheep-Pig was adapted into Hollywood hit, passes away at homeChildren's author Dick King-Smith, whose much-loved tale The Sheep-Pig was adapted into the hit film Babe, has died at the age... More...

Alabama publisher says expurgation of more than 200 'hurtful epithets' will counter 'pre-emptive censorship' that has seen Mark Twain's classic dropped from curriculaA new US edition of Mark Twain's classic novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is to be published... More...

Ebook claiming one can become a Kindle 'bestseller' simply by posting fake reviews temporarily removed from bookseller's listingsThe author of an ebook that gives details on how easily Amazon's bestseller rankings can be manipulated has accused the online retail giant... More...

Nigeria is beset by poverty, corruption and violence – but a poll says it is the world's most optimistic nationThe arrivals hall at Murtala Mohammed international airport in Lagos has the kind of humidity that feels like a warm towel.... More...

Epic family memoir sparked by some miniature heirlooms installed as favourite for £30,000 prizeA book that uses 264 delicate Japanese carvings to tell the extraordinary story of a family living through tumultous events in Paris and Vienna was tonight named... More...

Post remains unfilled three months after first makar's death and confusion surrounds selection criteriaEdwin Morgan was Scotland's greatest living poet and the natural choice in 2004 to become the country's first makar – its national poet laureate. In fact, the... More...